Since I have nothing better to do, I decided to come up with a quiz to see how much you might know about the Blackhawks. Most of these answers, I knew beforehand but had to do some fact-checking just to make sure. I came up with this just now: eight Blackhawks questions for you fans and "fans" to answer. Feel free to provide answers in the comments, on the Facebook page or on Twitter.
And no Googling.
1. How many Stanley Cups have the Blackhawks won since becoming an NHL franchise?
a) 2
b) 4
c) 5
d) 8
e) all of them
2. Before 2010, when was the last time the Blackhawks won the Cup?
a) they never did
b) 1992
c) 1961
d) 1932
e) trick question, hockey was invented in 2010
3. Who is the all-time leader in goals in Blackhawks history?
a) Jeremy Roenick
b) Bobby Hull
c) Stan Mikita
d) Patrick Kane
e) seriously, who are a, b, & c; it has to be d, right?
4. Who is the captain on the Blackhawks?
a) Jonathan Toews
b) Patrick Kane
c) Joel Quenneville
d) Dustin Byff.....Buff-something
e) Captain Planet
5. Who was the owner who kept the Blackhawks home games off of television up until his death in 2007?
a) Jerry Reinsdorf
b) Bill Wirtz
c) Rocky Wirtz
d) Frederic McLaughlin
e) Their games have always been on TV, duh
6. What event in American history was taking place when Chicago hockey received national attention for their loud rendition of the National Anthem while hosting an All-Star Game?
a) World War II
b) Vietnam
c) Gulf War
d) 9/11
e) The release of Chelsea Dagger
7. What team was the last team to beat the Blackhawks in a Stanley Cup?
a) Philadelphia Flyers
b) Pittsburgh Penguins
c) Montreal Canadiens
d) Toronto Maple Leafs
e) They've never lost a Cup
8. Which of these teams is not among the Original Six teams?
a) Montreal Canadiens
b) Detroit Red Wings
c) Boston Bruins
d) Minnesota Wild
e) Chicago Blackhawks
Grading scale:
7-8 - Three stars (First-line fan that knows their stuff)
5-6 - Two stars (Second-line fan - good Blackhawks knowledge)
3-4 - One star (Third-line fan - sharpen up those skates)
0-2 - No stars (Full-fledged wagoner)
(Note: if you answered e) for any of these questions, you fail automatically. You get zero points, and may God have mercy on your soul)
Showing posts with label hockey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hockey. Show all posts
5/23/2013
Out of (hockey)towners: Hockey Thoughts from Non-Hawks Fans in the Chicago Area
You might remember a blog series that I did before the 2012 NFL season began about people who live in/around Chicago and are fans of out-of-market teams. Seeing as though hockey is in season here (at least for a few more days), I decided to reach out to some of my hockey friends who have favorite teams outside of the Blackhawks.
Some of these gents - two of the Tims - were featured in the football blogs in August (one a Vikings fan, another of America's Team), so they have quite the background in rooting for non-Chicago entities.
With these friends of mine (four of them answered my questions), I was looking to see the roots of their hockey interest, what steered them to the teams they rooted for, and why not the Hawks?
I also gauged their thoughts on the large increase of Blackhawks fans who have (for the most part) been filling the United Center since Rocky Wirtz took over the team in 2007. They had varying thoughts on the bandwagon fans, ranging from acceptance to complete disgust.
Enjoy!
Bubba - Wings Man
The first one to answer (we'll call him Bubba) is a Red Wings fan, which seems to be the most common out-of-market team for Chicago people to root for. Needless to say, he's a happy camper as they sealed their third straight win to go up 3-1 in their best of 7 against the rival Hawks. When he answered this, they were down 1-0, so his answers may be different now than before, especially his predictions, which I'll mention below.
Bubba's roots as a Wings fan date back to his days of playing Sega Genesis, when the Red Wings had the best team in the game. "You couldn't beat them with (Steve) Yzerman, (Sergei) Federov, (Dino) Ciccarelli, and (Chris) Osgood," he said.
In a rivalry like Detroit/Chicago, you might find this nugget from Bubba surprising: not only does he not mind
the bandwagon of fans that have come cheer on the Blackhawks recently - he also cheers for the
Hawks...when they're not playing the Wings. He was rooting them on in the 2010 Stanley Cup - how many
Wings fans can you say did this? However, to be a true Hawks fan, Bubba has a few criteria.
"Give me stats and show me they know the game," he said. "If they know old players and key moments in history, I'd label them a true fan."
Entering the playoffs, Bubba said he would have considered this postseason a success if the Red Wings advanced past the first round of the playoffs.
"Since we did, I'm happy with whatever happens from now on," he said.
Having held onto his answers since Saturday, he might want to revise his Cup prediction (the Hawks losing to the Penguins in 6), but I'm sure he doesn't mind possibly being wrong about that.
So we know why he liked the Wings - why not the Hawks?
"Just not a Hawks fan," Bubba said. "I was born a winner and the Blackhawks were shitty for so long."
More Wings Please - The Tim C. Story
Another Wings fan in my group of friends, Tim C. fell in love with Motown's hockey team for a much different reason than Bubba. Instead of video games, Tim was introduced to hockey by Wings fans.
"After learning the history and traditions, I was hooked," he said.
Tim is a little more rough around the edges (to put it nicely) when it comes to his distaste of the Blackhawks and their fan base. As a kid, the Hawks were irrelevant to him, largely due to their lack of television presence.
"The Chicago Wolves had a better attendance rate," he said. "It's hard to root for a team that gets no local coverage."
When the Hawks won the Cup in 2010, Tim turned his TV and went to bed - so no celebrating with his Hawks friends like Bubba did.
His thoughts on the bandwagon fans are a lot different than Bubba's as well, and Tim certainly didn't mince words.
"Everyone is technically a bandwagon fan. They're no different," Tim said. "Now if you want me to answer what it would take for me to remove them of the label of low IQ'd morons, then my answer would be 'Shut up and listen. Learn something before you open your mouth because you spew verbal diarrhea.'"
Regarding his Wings, he has been very surprised to see the Wings playing so well, especially with their youth movement.
"For them to help grab the 7th seed, knock off the 2 seed, and give the 1 seed a run for their money," Tim said, "I'd say that's surprising and very impressive."
Like Bubba, Tim answered this before the Wings took a convincing series lead, so his series pick (Penguins over Hawks) may be different now.
"That's the match I'll root for if the Wings lose because it will be a classic," he said.
Another Tim, Another Out of Market Team A'Bruin
Yet another Tim in my group of friends can't root for the Hawks. This particular Tim roots for a team a little east of Detroit.
Tim W. became hooked on the Boston Bruins in a similar way that Tim C. did - with historical players on the team as he started following hockey. These greats included Ray Bourque, Cam Neely & Andy Moog, making his liking of the team come "pretty naturally."
He knew that his hometown team had some great players like Ed Belfour, Jeremy Roenick and Chris Chelios, but Tim couldn't bring himself to root for the Blackhawks.
"The Hawks and their poor management/ownership really steered me away from them," he said. "Not showing home games on TV really was a turn off and didn't make them seem fan friendly or accommodating to their fans."
Since his Bruins aren't really rivals in the truest sense of the word, Tim didn't find himself rooting against the Hawks like an average Red Wings fans would. Consider his Cup reaction in 2010 a cross between the Wings fans mentioned above.
"I was happy for the fans that I knew were true fans and tried to ignore the ones that just started following them," he said.
For those fans that fall in the latter category (the bandwagon fans), Tim believes there is hope for them to become real fans. In addition to touching up on the team's history, he believes showing loyalty will weed out the bandwagon fans from the ones who actually became fans in the past five years.
"If they are new to the game, they can prove their worth by sticking with the team through tough times, " he said. "Because it's easy to like the hot team when you first start following the sport."
Entering the Bruins second-round series versus the Rangers, Tim didn't think his team would advance. Now that his team has a 3-1 lead (lost Thursday in Game 4), he believes advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals is a given "barring collapse", but doesn't see them advancing past the Penguins in the next round.
"I don't think they are consistent enough offensively to beat the Penguins though, but they will give them a good fight," said Tim, who now has the Penguins over the Sharks (after revising it from a Blues over Rangers prediction before the playoffs started).
Penguin Pride
The last fan profile is on Don, who became a Penguins fan with help from his cousins and brother, with a little help from Mario Lemieux being a staple of the team when Don was a kid. Like the hockey fans above, his lack of exposure to the Blackhawks made his interest draw to a different squad.
"When I got into hockey, it was hard to watch a Hawks game with them not being televised," Don said.
His Penguins won the Cup in 2009, so seeing the best championship trophy in sports go to the hometown team the next year should have been tough on Don - but it wasn't.
"I was out with friends who were Hawks fans at a bar and took it as an opportunity to celebrate," he said, "seeing as though the Pens won the year before and I didn't do much for that."
Don finds the bandwagon Blackhawks fans to be annoying and more focused on social interaction with their friends while the game is on instead of intently following the action of the games. He does believe these bandwagon fans can become real fans if they try to educate themselves on the game.
"Real fans follow their team every day. They know all the players, when the games are, who they're playing against," Don said. "They know who's hurt or who's a scratch. They aren't there just for social interaction."
Making it a clean sweep among the out-of-market fans, Don is sticking with his prediction and bet from a few months ago that the Penguins will win the Stanley Cup. As a witness to his prediction, I can say that he had the Penguins over the Red Wings before the playoffs started.
"I think they have a real good shot at the Cup," he said. "But I thought that two months ago too when I bet it!"
Some of these gents - two of the Tims - were featured in the football blogs in August (one a Vikings fan, another of America's Team), so they have quite the background in rooting for non-Chicago entities.
With these friends of mine (four of them answered my questions), I was looking to see the roots of their hockey interest, what steered them to the teams they rooted for, and why not the Hawks?
I also gauged their thoughts on the large increase of Blackhawks fans who have (for the most part) been filling the United Center since Rocky Wirtz took over the team in 2007. They had varying thoughts on the bandwagon fans, ranging from acceptance to complete disgust.
Enjoy!
Bubba - Wings Man
The first one to answer (we'll call him Bubba) is a Red Wings fan, which seems to be the most common out-of-market team for Chicago people to root for. Needless to say, he's a happy camper as they sealed their third straight win to go up 3-1 in their best of 7 against the rival Hawks. When he answered this, they were down 1-0, so his answers may be different now than before, especially his predictions, which I'll mention below.
Bubba's roots as a Wings fan date back to his days of playing Sega Genesis, when the Red Wings had the best team in the game. "You couldn't beat them with (Steve) Yzerman, (Sergei) Federov, (Dino) Ciccarelli, and (Chris) Osgood," he said.
In a rivalry like Detroit/Chicago, you might find this nugget from Bubba surprising: not only does he not mind
the bandwagon of fans that have come cheer on the Blackhawks recently - he also cheers for the
Hawks...when they're not playing the Wings. He was rooting them on in the 2010 Stanley Cup - how many
Wings fans can you say did this? However, to be a true Hawks fan, Bubba has a few criteria.
"Give me stats and show me they know the game," he said. "If they know old players and key moments in history, I'd label them a true fan."
Entering the playoffs, Bubba said he would have considered this postseason a success if the Red Wings advanced past the first round of the playoffs.
"Since we did, I'm happy with whatever happens from now on," he said.
Having held onto his answers since Saturday, he might want to revise his Cup prediction (the Hawks losing to the Penguins in 6), but I'm sure he doesn't mind possibly being wrong about that.
So we know why he liked the Wings - why not the Hawks?
"Just not a Hawks fan," Bubba said. "I was born a winner and the Blackhawks were shitty for so long."
More Wings Please - The Tim C. Story
Another Wings fan in my group of friends, Tim C. fell in love with Motown's hockey team for a much different reason than Bubba. Instead of video games, Tim was introduced to hockey by Wings fans.
"After learning the history and traditions, I was hooked," he said.
Tim is a little more rough around the edges (to put it nicely) when it comes to his distaste of the Blackhawks and their fan base. As a kid, the Hawks were irrelevant to him, largely due to their lack of television presence.
"The Chicago Wolves had a better attendance rate," he said. "It's hard to root for a team that gets no local coverage."
When the Hawks won the Cup in 2010, Tim turned his TV and went to bed - so no celebrating with his Hawks friends like Bubba did.
His thoughts on the bandwagon fans are a lot different than Bubba's as well, and Tim certainly didn't mince words.
"Everyone is technically a bandwagon fan. They're no different," Tim said. "Now if you want me to answer what it would take for me to remove them of the label of low IQ'd morons, then my answer would be 'Shut up and listen. Learn something before you open your mouth because you spew verbal diarrhea.'"
Regarding his Wings, he has been very surprised to see the Wings playing so well, especially with their youth movement.
"For them to help grab the 7th seed, knock off the 2 seed, and give the 1 seed a run for their money," Tim said, "I'd say that's surprising and very impressive."
Like Bubba, Tim answered this before the Wings took a convincing series lead, so his series pick (Penguins over Hawks) may be different now.
"That's the match I'll root for if the Wings lose because it will be a classic," he said.
Another Tim, Another Out of Market Team A'Bruin
Yet another Tim in my group of friends can't root for the Hawks. This particular Tim roots for a team a little east of Detroit.
Tim W. became hooked on the Boston Bruins in a similar way that Tim C. did - with historical players on the team as he started following hockey. These greats included Ray Bourque, Cam Neely & Andy Moog, making his liking of the team come "pretty naturally."
He knew that his hometown team had some great players like Ed Belfour, Jeremy Roenick and Chris Chelios, but Tim couldn't bring himself to root for the Blackhawks.
"The Hawks and their poor management/ownership really steered me away from them," he said. "Not showing home games on TV really was a turn off and didn't make them seem fan friendly or accommodating to their fans."
Since his Bruins aren't really rivals in the truest sense of the word, Tim didn't find himself rooting against the Hawks like an average Red Wings fans would. Consider his Cup reaction in 2010 a cross between the Wings fans mentioned above.
"I was happy for the fans that I knew were true fans and tried to ignore the ones that just started following them," he said.
For those fans that fall in the latter category (the bandwagon fans), Tim believes there is hope for them to become real fans. In addition to touching up on the team's history, he believes showing loyalty will weed out the bandwagon fans from the ones who actually became fans in the past five years.
"If they are new to the game, they can prove their worth by sticking with the team through tough times, " he said. "Because it's easy to like the hot team when you first start following the sport."
Entering the Bruins second-round series versus the Rangers, Tim didn't think his team would advance. Now that his team has a 3-1 lead (lost Thursday in Game 4), he believes advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals is a given "barring collapse", but doesn't see them advancing past the Penguins in the next round.
"I don't think they are consistent enough offensively to beat the Penguins though, but they will give them a good fight," said Tim, who now has the Penguins over the Sharks (after revising it from a Blues over Rangers prediction before the playoffs started).
Penguin Pride
The last fan profile is on Don, who became a Penguins fan with help from his cousins and brother, with a little help from Mario Lemieux being a staple of the team when Don was a kid. Like the hockey fans above, his lack of exposure to the Blackhawks made his interest draw to a different squad.
"When I got into hockey, it was hard to watch a Hawks game with them not being televised," Don said.
His Penguins won the Cup in 2009, so seeing the best championship trophy in sports go to the hometown team the next year should have been tough on Don - but it wasn't.
"I was out with friends who were Hawks fans at a bar and took it as an opportunity to celebrate," he said, "seeing as though the Pens won the year before and I didn't do much for that."
Don finds the bandwagon Blackhawks fans to be annoying and more focused on social interaction with their friends while the game is on instead of intently following the action of the games. He does believe these bandwagon fans can become real fans if they try to educate themselves on the game.
"Real fans follow their team every day. They know all the players, when the games are, who they're playing against," Don said. "They know who's hurt or who's a scratch. They aren't there just for social interaction."
Making it a clean sweep among the out-of-market fans, Don is sticking with his prediction and bet from a few months ago that the Penguins will win the Stanley Cup. As a witness to his prediction, I can say that he had the Penguins over the Red Wings before the playoffs started.
"I think they have a real good shot at the Cup," he said. "But I thought that two months ago too when I bet it!"
10/12/2012
Rocktober: The Best Sports Month (and Week 6 Picks)
Yesterday was a very sad day for me to bury the remains of my World Series bets, and boy, did the Giants and Tigers help speed up that burial process by beating the Reds and Athletics, respectively.
It still doesn't change the fact that for me, this is my favorite month of sports. This month contains the start of the MLB playoffs, the start of conference play in college football and the initial separation of the pretenders and contenders in the NFL.
There's also the start of NBA training camp and for you hockey fans, the start of another great hockey season. Sorry hockey fans - from everything I've heard, it doesn't look good for this year. But I said the same thing about the NBA, and they got their act together for an abbreviated schedule. And for my friends (ok, friend) who watches and bets on the WNBA, you got their finals going on right now.
This month has just about every sport that Joe American gives a crap about. While my World Series bets didn't pan out (none of the six - yes....six - even made it to baseball's final four), I'll still be paying close attention. Hell, maybe I'll make a seventh bet and take my initial hunch entering the postseason (Detroit).
If you're a sports fan and don't like this month, I seriously doubt the sincerity of your enjoyment of sports.
NFL Picks for Week 6
Last week, I went 9-4 with my picks. Not all of them were posted - I've been doing a really shitty job of updating my picks. I'll try doing a better job of posting them, especially since I'm doing a little better as of late.
Bets won: StL +2, Ariz/StL Under 19 1H, Cle/NYG Over 43.5, KC +6, SF -10, NO/SD Over 53.5, NO/SD Over 27 1H, NYJ +10, Hou/NYJ Under 40.5
Bets lost: Cle +8, KC Money Line, Sea/Car Over 42.5, Jax +6 (oops on that one - big whiff)
For this week, here are my picks:
Fool's Gold 1 - Dallas +3.5 at Baltimore - People will think of these things (Dallas's last game, Baltimore's record and defensive reputation) and be willing to fork over their cash on Baltimore. Yes, Dallas took a dump on their home field a couple Monday nights ago against the Bears. But Baltimore isn't as good as their 4-1 record indicates. Outside of their first week game when they blew out Cincy, each of their last four games have come down to the final possession. Despite the points allowed per game (17.8, good for 7th in the league), their defense is fairly average (14th in yards per play, including 22nd in yards per pass attempt). Playing Kansas City, who somehow only mustered 6 points with 214 rushing yards, will help with that PPG. Dallas comes into the game rested and hungry for a win - take the points.
Fool's Gold 2 - Buffalo +4.5 at Arizona - One of the things I've learned over the years when it comes to gambling: when a team looks just so bad and pathetic over a couple week stretch, the very next week is a very good time to cash in on them. And by cashing on them, I mean actually betting them. Most people see Buffalo's last couple weeks (allowing 48.5 points & 600 yards A GAME), numbers that certainly scream to most that I should probably bet on the other team. That's usually the perfect time to strike. Arizona is not a true 4-1 team (after watching them last week, I'm convinced they will fade, likely to about .500 by year's end). Their offense is terrible. They'll be starting a third-string RB behind a crappy offensive line. Expect this to be an ugly game. In ugly games, I like to take the points. So yeah, take the points.
Other (possible) bets: GB +3.5, NYJ -3/3.5, Mia -4, Cin/Cle Over 43
NCAA Week 7
Tex Tech +4, Purdue -1, Pitt +3, Duke +10, Min +3.5
Good luck to everyone with their teams/picks this week. Enjoy another great October weekend of sports.
10/12/2011
rock out with your lock-out: NoBody cAres
What's there to talk about in the sports world on this, the 12th day of October?
Hmmm....
In the NFL, you got some surprise teams on the good side (Lions, Bills, Niners), some on the bad side (Eagles, Falcons, Jets), dominant QBs and the defending champs looking every bit the part so far this year.
In college football, the SEC is once again making waves, with a November matchup between LSU and Alabama acting almost as a play-in game for the BCS championship in January. Also in this neck of the woods, you have the already bowl-eligible Illinois, 6-0 and facing Theeeeeeeeeee Reeling Ohio State Buckeyes.
In baseball, the playoffs have some exciting teams still left. Personally, I'd love to see a Verlander vs. Carpenter matchup in a week with a World Series game on the line.
Hockey season just opened, so for those into hockey, there's that.
So what about basketball? Yeah, not getting your blood bubbling that they're locked out?
I'm sure there are those diehard fans that are missing the sport and will miss watching the season from November through April, but when is the NBA our primary focus at this time of the year anyways? Most NBA fans I know are fans of one of the above sports more. I haven't heard much complaining about the NBA getting locked out, potentially for an entire season.
I also got a couple gambling friends who will be missing NBA if it's not in session, especially for the day-to-day fix that NBA feeds for gamblers. Look at it as a way to save some money, gents.
I don't mind a shortened season (50 games like 1998-99), since it will make the regular season games mean more. I would be disappointed if the season was cancelled, but my expectation of the season being done for is making it easier to deal with that possibility.
When the dark days of sports are accompanied by the dark days of winter in February and the Packers finish repeating as NFL champions, that's when most of us will notice the lull in the sports world and the sports depression will set in. If you're an NBA fan, I predict this is when the lack of NBA will affect you the most.
In the meantime, enjoy the best sports month of the year in the best weather month of the year.
Go Niners and Illini.
Hmmm....
In the NFL, you got some surprise teams on the good side (Lions, Bills, Niners), some on the bad side (Eagles, Falcons, Jets), dominant QBs and the defending champs looking every bit the part so far this year.
In college football, the SEC is once again making waves, with a November matchup between LSU and Alabama acting almost as a play-in game for the BCS championship in January. Also in this neck of the woods, you have the already bowl-eligible Illinois, 6-0 and facing Theeeeeeeeeee Reeling Ohio State Buckeyes.
In baseball, the playoffs have some exciting teams still left. Personally, I'd love to see a Verlander vs. Carpenter matchup in a week with a World Series game on the line.
Hockey season just opened, so for those into hockey, there's that.
So what about basketball? Yeah, not getting your blood bubbling that they're locked out?
I'm sure there are those diehard fans that are missing the sport and will miss watching the season from November through April, but when is the NBA our primary focus at this time of the year anyways? Most NBA fans I know are fans of one of the above sports more. I haven't heard much complaining about the NBA getting locked out, potentially for an entire season.
I also got a couple gambling friends who will be missing NBA if it's not in session, especially for the day-to-day fix that NBA feeds for gamblers. Look at it as a way to save some money, gents.
I don't mind a shortened season (50 games like 1998-99), since it will make the regular season games mean more. I would be disappointed if the season was cancelled, but my expectation of the season being done for is making it easier to deal with that possibility.
When the dark days of sports are accompanied by the dark days of winter in February and the Packers finish repeating as NFL champions, that's when most of us will notice the lull in the sports world and the sports depression will set in. If you're an NBA fan, I predict this is when the lack of NBA will affect you the most.
In the meantime, enjoy the best sports month of the year in the best weather month of the year.
Go Niners and Illini.
4/24/2011
I'm With The Band (wagon): How Do You Know Who is Who?
The past couple of hockey playoff seasons, I've observed the sudden rise in the Blackhawks. And while most people in my position (not a hockey fan and not really part of the wagon or true Hawks fan) wouldn't give a crap, I've always wondered if there's an easy way to spot out a bandwagoner from a true fan.
Are there certain signs that I should be looking for from the bandwagoners that wouldn't be seen in a true fan? Would quizzing people on the team's past (like anything from beyond the past 4-5 years) prove anything in their status? Are there certain jerseys that bandwagoners have that are considered too trendy for a "true" Hawks fan to get? I'm actually legitimately asking these questions, because I have no clue as an outsider to observes a plethora of Hawks love on social media - and while I know some of them are true fans, I also know there are some who are following the Hawks (much like some folks following the Bulls) because it's the cool thing to do.
I'm sure you (whoever reads this as a Hawks fan) know who, among your group of friends and "friends" on facebook, is a true fan. My question to you is: how do you distinguish between a true fan and a bandwagon?
If any of you have answers to this, I'd welcome some comments on the subject.
Big sports day in Chicago Tuesday. Buckle up where ever you watch the games.
-B
Are there certain signs that I should be looking for from the bandwagoners that wouldn't be seen in a true fan? Would quizzing people on the team's past (like anything from beyond the past 4-5 years) prove anything in their status? Are there certain jerseys that bandwagoners have that are considered too trendy for a "true" Hawks fan to get? I'm actually legitimately asking these questions, because I have no clue as an outsider to observes a plethora of Hawks love on social media - and while I know some of them are true fans, I also know there are some who are following the Hawks (much like some folks following the Bulls) because it's the cool thing to do.
I'm sure you (whoever reads this as a Hawks fan) know who, among your group of friends and "friends" on facebook, is a true fan. My question to you is: how do you distinguish between a true fan and a bandwagon?
If any of you have answers to this, I'd welcome some comments on the subject.
Big sports day in Chicago Tuesday. Buckle up where ever you watch the games.
-B
4/19/2011
#1s with Some Bullets
Some bullet points of a blog today:
....coming soon in the next day or two, a Scalabrine article that you will definitely want to read. Stay tuned.
World Series Bets Placed:
- I have officially bet the entire AL Central to win the World Series. Before the season started, I threw $20 on the Sox at 21/1 odds (20 to win 420). I just checked all of the team's odds in the AL Central outside of the Sox and they were all 40/1 or over. So I threw $6 on KC (80/1 odds), $8 on the Twins (60/1 odds) and $10 each on the Indians and Tigers (both 40/1). Whether this proves to be a dumb strategy is a non-arguing point (I know it's stupid). I guess I figured if my Sox bet was gonna be shot in October, I might as well insure myself with the rest of the division at such high prices.
- Two trains of thought with the Bulls after going up 2-0 in the series: (1) Being on a double digit win streak, they're clearly doing something right, so no use in complaining on how they win, just as long as they win vs. (2) A #1 seed such as the Bulls with the supposed MVP should be destroying the Pacers on their home court, where they've shown themselves to be a dominant force, not letting them hang around (or in Game 1's sake, hold a lead the entire game up until the last minute). Both points can be argued. I don't think the Bulls can play like this against the Heat or Celtics (or even the Magic/Hawks) and expect to advance to the Finals.
- Speaking of the Bulls, I wore the Brian Scalabrine jersey again yesterday. I believe I have worn the jersey more than he has in 2011, and in about a quarter of the time.
- First day without class, so that means going to a bar of course. Well, for a friend's birthday. I don't want to make going to bars a habit, but I don't want to be trapped at home either this summer. Especially considering I work from home. So if you're reading this, GET ME OUT OF THE HOUSE!
- Just pulled the trigger on the Knicks for Game 2 tonight. I pegged them winning one of the first two games at Boston, so figured it was worth the risk at +275 for $35.
- Looks like The Playoff Stubble that I spoke of last week is about right for the Blackhawks, who are on the brink of elimination. I say they pull out a couple of wins here just to tease everyone, but then lose in Game 6.
....coming soon in the next day or two, a Scalabrine article that you will definitely want to read. Stay tuned.
World Series Bets Placed:
| 96124773 |
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| 96124774 |
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| 96124775 |
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| 96124776 |
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4/13/2011
From Playoff Beard to Playoff Stubble: The Hawks' Short Journey through the Playoffs?
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| How thick will the Hawks' beards get this year? Beard season starts today. |
Everyone who knows me knows I don't follow much hockey, but there's one thing that I love about hockey: the playoff beard. Last year's Hawks squad had a variety of playoff beards growing throughout their Stanley Cup run:
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| One of the thicker beards last year, as worn by Adam Burish |
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| This beard, proudly worn by Antti Niemi |
And then, there are the not-so-pretty beards:
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| My cousin Tony grew better facial hair at the age of 12 than Kane did at 21. $20 says Kaner punched the cabbie because cabbie said Kane's beard looked like "my wife's lower region". |
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| I guess being talented and having a good beard don't go hand in hand. |
The one thing I do know about hockey (and baseball) compared to basketball is that playoff series are a lot more unpredictable and home ice/field does not mean as much when compared to NBA. Seems like every year or every other year, a 1 seed loses to an 8 seed in hockey in at least one of the conferences. The Ducks almost won the Cup less than ten years ago as an 8 seed and the Flyers made it all the way to the Cup as a 7 seed last year against the Hawks.
Also, if history is any indicator, making the playoffs in the last week/game isn't necessarily a bad sign for the Hawks. Some recent sports examples of teams who squeaked into postseason play:
NHL- Flyers (2010): made the playoffs in the last day of the season last year and were two games away from winning the Stanley Cup.
MLB- San Francisco Giants (2010): They squeaked into the playoffs after winning in game 162 (last game of the regular season) vs. the Padres, who helped the Giants get back into the NL West race by losing 10 straight games in September. The Giants went on to win the World Series after besting the Braves, Phillies and Rangers in October.
NFL- Green Bay (2010-11): won their last two regular season games, including an ugly affair against the Bears on the 2nd day of the year, then won the Super Bowl after winning three straight games on the road, including at Chicago.
NCAAB- Butler/VCU (2011): Some say that Butler may not have made the tournament if they did not win their conference tourney; everyone said that VCU did not deserve to be in the play-in game of the newly-expanded 68-team NCAA tournament. Both teams made the most of their opportunities. Butler won a pair of last second victories in the first two rounds, then proceeded to the Final Four after victories against Wisconsin and Florida. Meanwhile, VCU was the first team to need 5 wins to advance to the final weekend, capping off their amazing run by dominating against highly-touted and top-ranked Kansas. While Butler (who beat VCU in the national semis) ended up looking terrible against Uconn, they definitely went further than 99.999% of people thought they would.
So will the Hawks (or another team) join this list? It's much more possible in NHL than NBA. Whereas I could name the 5 teams that even have a shot at the NBA title (no particular order: Lakers, Celtics, Bulls, Heat, Spurs), hockey always presents series upsets that allow for any and all teams to have a shot at the title.
Good luck to the Hawks to advance beyond the playoff stubble stage. From what I hear, they'll need all the luck they can get.
10/21/2010
Nobody's perfect - especially you
But especially me. Not anymore anyways. Philadelphia ended my mouth-watering, panty-dropping perfect baseball gambling record for the 2010 by falling to the Giants last night, ending my streak to start the playoffs at 9 in a row. Unfortunately, due to school interfering with my Tu-Th television watching, I wasn't able to catch anything but the bottom of the ninth at Oliver's (a local bar), only to watch the Wizard of Oswalt allow former Sox infielder Juan Uribe to follow the yellow brick road to a game 4 victory.
I'm not sure if any of you even follow baseball playoffs when local teams are out of the race. I know I find it hard to watch baseball when my teams are not involved - unless of course money is on the line in some capacity. I could watch football games without money on the line, if only for the simple fact that football wipes their asses with other professional sports in terms of entertainment. I'm sure others would contend, and with good reason, that hockey is their favorite form of sports entertainment. Hockey has captured the attention of Chicago the past couple of years and is an excellent sport to watch in person. I got into it a little bit last year but would not consider myself a fan of the Hawks, but I was definitely happy for all of my Hawks friends (Luzz-man, Jay, my cousin Tony, Hurley, etc.) when they did win, as I know they were followers of the team during the Dark Ages (mid 90s-mid 2000s).
All this being said, I still think football is the best sport- although with their outlawing of hitting people and eventual evolution towards turning into a flag football league, it soon may dissipate down the sport rankings if it keeps up this pattern. Football without hitting is like a TV with no electricity, a cookie without the milk, a crackpipe without the crack. I understand player safety must be a concern to the NFL, but have they ever thought that these folks who are being told to avoid the hard hits might be putting themselves more at risk for injuries themselves through their half-assed hits? I could see some of the stronger receivers and runners taking advantage of the pussification of the NFL by lowering their helmets into defensive players even moreso. When these guys became players, they knew the inherent risks of the sport, which include concussions, leg/ACL injuries, etc. And oftentimes, you'll see these players with much shorter lifespans than other professions. However, people have always known this, and the idea of the sport changing now, while beneficial to the players, would ultimately end with the diminishing of the sport itself.
At least that what B-Bo Knows. But who knows if I'm right. After all, I'm not perfect.
I'm not sure if any of you even follow baseball playoffs when local teams are out of the race. I know I find it hard to watch baseball when my teams are not involved - unless of course money is on the line in some capacity. I could watch football games without money on the line, if only for the simple fact that football wipes their asses with other professional sports in terms of entertainment. I'm sure others would contend, and with good reason, that hockey is their favorite form of sports entertainment. Hockey has captured the attention of Chicago the past couple of years and is an excellent sport to watch in person. I got into it a little bit last year but would not consider myself a fan of the Hawks, but I was definitely happy for all of my Hawks friends (Luzz-man, Jay, my cousin Tony, Hurley, etc.) when they did win, as I know they were followers of the team during the Dark Ages (mid 90s-mid 2000s).
All this being said, I still think football is the best sport- although with their outlawing of hitting people and eventual evolution towards turning into a flag football league, it soon may dissipate down the sport rankings if it keeps up this pattern. Football without hitting is like a TV with no electricity, a cookie without the milk, a crackpipe without the crack. I understand player safety must be a concern to the NFL, but have they ever thought that these folks who are being told to avoid the hard hits might be putting themselves more at risk for injuries themselves through their half-assed hits? I could see some of the stronger receivers and runners taking advantage of the pussification of the NFL by lowering their helmets into defensive players even moreso. When these guys became players, they knew the inherent risks of the sport, which include concussions, leg/ACL injuries, etc. And oftentimes, you'll see these players with much shorter lifespans than other professions. However, people have always known this, and the idea of the sport changing now, while beneficial to the players, would ultimately end with the diminishing of the sport itself.
At least that what B-Bo Knows. But who knows if I'm right. After all, I'm not perfect.
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